Coffee After Professional Whitening?

The results of teeth whitening can be dramatic in as little as two hours with in-office bleaching.  There are a few things that we ask you not to eat or drink following the procedure.  Coffee is one of the things that we like for you to avoid, but only for 48 hours following the procedure.  Tea, red wine, and some sodas are also not good during this initial period following whitening.  The reason is the enamel is porous for the first 48 hours making it easy to restain them.  Drinking through a straw during this time period is a good idea to avoid liquids making direct contact with your newly whitened enamel.

Thank you for your great question. Coffee will stain teeth. Just look at a porcelain cup you are drinking coffee from. If it is not washed within 5 minutes, that cup will stain! The same with your pearly whites. Consider brushing your teeth right away after drinking coffee.

Teeth get somewhat dehydrated from teeth whitening and become like little sponges that can absorb color. This is why it is recommended to avoid colored foods for at least 24 hours. I usually recommend 48 hours to be safe. This dehydration is the same reason teeth may be a bit sensitive. This sensitivity only lasts about 24 hours and can be helped with sensodyne toothpaste and over the counter anti-inflammatories. Follow us for more info.

Almost any stain we acquire on our teeth from everyday foods, drinks and habits can can be made lighter, whiter and better with the use of professional whitening.  I think that this myth was thrown out of perspective, but has some underlying truth to it. 

First truth: The longer our teeth come in contact with dark staining foods and drinks, the more susceptible we are to stain.  This is why straws can be a good option to lessen the amount of time a dark staining liquid (coffee or soda for example) has in contact with your teeth.

Second truth: After whitening (bleaching), teeth become dehydrated temporarily, making them more susceptible to picking up stain.  That's why we advise patients to avoid dark staining things (tobacco, coffee, red wine, etc) for the first 24-48 hours.  It's not that your teeth will all of a sudden become a deep Argentinian Malbec Red if you accidentally have a glass of Malbec, it's just more likely that the the whitening you just did won't appear as effective thereby negating the effort you just put in.  No worries, you'll just have to bleach an extra night or two to counter that and achieve the whiteness you desire.

Coffee, along with red wine, tea, tobacco, blueberries etc. will stain your teeth no matter what but it is not permanent.  That is why we always make whitening trays for touch up.  After whitening, your teeth are dehydrated from the bleaching process and are very sensitive to stain. We recommend you refrain from the above substances for a least a week so your teeth have time to rehydrate.  We use Kor Whitening in  our practice and there is no problem with teeth dehydratring; however, .I would be mindful of what foods and drinks come  into contact with  my beautiful new white teeth for at least a week!

The tooth staining which occurs from drinking coffee is not permanent.  Whitening does alter the surface of the teeth.  The saliva will rehydrate and remineralize the surface of the teeth in a relatively short time. 

I do not recommend consuming any foods or drinks that can stain the teeth for at least 12 hours after whitening.  It is during this period that the teeth will be most susceptible to absorbing stains.

We do tell our patents that they should avoid all dark staining foods including coffee for the first 48 hours. This is so that the pores of the teeth have a chance to close up and dont get clogged with dark stains. Drinking through a straw will definitely avoid those foods from getting into your teeth and will prolong the whitening results

For the first 24-48 hours after a professional bleaching, it is good to follow  the adage "don't eat or drink anything that would stain a white shirt".  As the teeth re-hydrate and remineralize  over the next day or two, anything with a dark color will stain the freshly bleached surfaces.  You can use a touch up pen, kit or trays to help lock in the color that you achieved with the intial bleaching session.  Over time, depending on your habits, your teeth will stain back up but you can use your maintenance whitening kit to keep your smile bright.  On a side note, after you do use your maintenance kit, avoid the same dark foods/drinks for at least an hour after you touch up so as not to mar your  results.

After a professional whitening procedure it is best to avoid anything that would have caused the staining in the first place for the first 24-48 hours. This can include coffee, tea, tobacco or anything that would stain a white shirt.

Professional Whitening will always need to be touched up.  That is why custom whitening trays are important.  You can use the trays for years after and can purchase touch up whitening kits anytime.  If you eat blueberries, red pasta sauce, drink red wine or coffee, etc. after your professional whitening your teeth can turn colors-We recommend you stay with white colored foods and give the whitening at least 48 hours or more while the teeth remineralize, before you eat colored foods.  Using a straw can help with stain but if you feel your teeth have stained or changed color-don't panic-just touch up the whitening!!!  Use Supersmile Toothpaste to keep your whitening looking great as well.